Budweiser Duel to be run under the lights

As we near the season, more details continue to be revealed with regards to plans for the year ahead. One of those plans includes more night racing at Daytona.

Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III announced that the Budweiser Duel will be ran under the lights in 2014. The Budweiser Duel At Daytona, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20, will start under the lights and will be televised by FOX Sports Media Group.

“To earn a coveted starting spot in the Daytona 500, the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have to perform under the lights and in front of a primetime audience in the Budweiser Duel,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said in the press release. “Moving the Budweiser Duel under the lights will add another dimension to Budweiser Speedweeks.”

The front row for the 55th annual Daytona 500 will be determined with qualifying on Sunday February 16th.

The rest of hte field will be determined through NASCAR’s Daytona qualifying procedure, that includes the Budweiser Duel on February 20th. The pair of races – odd qualified cars in one, even qualified cars in the second – will be 150 miles each.

The 55th Annual Daytona 500 is schedule for 1 p.m. EST on Sunday February 23rd with MRN Radio and FOX showing live coverage of the event.

As part of Budweiser Speedweeks the Sprint Unlimited will take place on Saturday February 15th, the NASCAR Camping Wold Truck Series Season Opener NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday February 21st under the lights and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Opener on Saturday February 22nd during the afternoon.